LEXINGTON, Ky. – A lawmaker says the state's Homeland Security office should be crediting God with keeping the state safe.
State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister who was instrumental in establishing that requirement in 2006, disapproves of the fact that Homeland Security doesn't currently mention God in its mission statement or on its Web site.
The law passed under former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who prominently credited God in annual reports to state leaders. But Gov. Steve Beshear's administration didn't credit God in its 2008 Homeland Security report issued last month.
"We certainly expect it to be there, of course," Riner, D-Louisville, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The law that organized the Homeland Security office first lists Homeland Security's duty to recognize that government itself can't secure the state without God, even before mentioning other duties, which include distributing millions of dollars in federal grants and analyzing possible threats.
The religious language was tucked into a floor amendment by Riner and passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly. It lists the office's initial duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."
Included in the law is a requirement that the office must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."
But state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, a frequent critic of mixing religion and government, said requiring the department to credit God takes away from Homeland Security's mission.
"It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," Stein said. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost."
Thomas Preston, Gov. Beshear's Homeland Security chief, said he is not interested in stepping into a religious debate.
"I will not try to supplant almighty God," Preston said. "All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don't know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it."
Riner said crediting God with helping ensure the state's safety is appropriate.
"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."
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Believer: I lived in Canada for three years. I obtained an M.Div from the University of Toronto. I'd happily rather live there than the U.S. except I have many people I'm close to in Chicago.
Hey steve! Events like 9/11 and the election of Obama are simply wake up calls. After all, when the Jews didn't listen to God they got an extended vaction making bricks for the Egyptians and then got to go in circles for 40 years.
The problem is with us...not with him.
Where o where does the separation of Church and State come from? Indeed the Constitution of the United States of America states that no law shall be created against religion. For two hundred years we have had God all over our Federal Currency. Should all of this money be without value since the founding fathers obviously screwed up??? Heh... the re-hashing and acceptance of the Church and State separation garbage is appalling. It has our churches afraid of speaking out an opinion in regards to the government for fear of losing the tax exempt status.
Believer said it well that it is "foolish not to seek and recognize God's ability to protect us." How is it foolish to accept that God is more powerful than govt? How does mentioning God take away from the seriousness of the issue as Stein says?
Also, we are warned in Proverbs to not covet the luxurious or seemingly better life of the wicked, ie. the other countries mentioned as seemingly better to live in than the U.S. They are no better off than the millionaire down the street that cheats on his taxes or takes an absorbent amount of interest off from loaned money.
One other thing: God raises up leaders for nations. The nations can suffer for these leaders actions. Much like Israel was attacked time and again when the kings worshiped idols. The Good Book Spells all of this out.
blue, in some parts of Kentucky that is valid, but not in the Lexington area which is much like NYC and Boston in many ways. In fact one of the state representatives from Lexington is a prominent homosexual activist.
First, it is - of all states - Kentucky. The culture there is just so completely different than the Tri-State area, or Boston, or New York City. Even within their criminal courts, God is so often invoked that it is socially promulgated. Let them keep dissolving the fundamentally important legal separation of church and state. In the end, they will go so far as to get the courts involved and at least the rest of the 49 states will learn from this, quite frankly, embarrassing precedent.
chicago, have you ever been to Canada or the Netherlands, I have and both are good places but like America they have their fair share and in some circumstances more than their fair share of problems.
I do not read that he is giving God credit for protecting us but rather he is saying we would be foolish not to seek and recognize God's ability to protect us. If I remember correctly it was said of the Titanic that God could not sink it and we all know the rest of that story.
I really find Riner's statement questionable. The fact that he credits the lack of affliction toward the U.S. as proof of God's favor conversely shows that countries where affliction lies indicate God's disfavor.
Countries like Sudan and Ethiopia experience more affliction than this author can even fathom -- I seriously doubt that he is ready to proclaim that millions of innocent citizens from these countries are really being afflicted with God's disfavor.
Moreover - Canada has never been "afflicted" with disasters like 9/11 yet the entire nation has embraced legalized gay marriage and has a much higher standard of living than the US and most other western countries. Countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all have the highest standards of living and don't experience affliction as seen in the U.S. (poverty, crime, murder) and they all have legalized gay unions.
If we follow Riner's logic, then God obviously favors countries like these MUCH more than the U.S.
Okey dokey Mr Riner, I take it that means God should be held responsible also for events like 9/11? I suspect this gentleman(?) likes to have his cake and eat it. Well said Kathy Stein.